Hose Coupling Provided With Non Return Valve and a Combined Locking and Obstructing Body

ABSTRACT

Hose coupling incorporates male part and a female part being provided with elements which in corporation with a slide axially displaceable sleeve on the female part renders possible pressure relief at disconnection. These elements are constituted by an angular locking pawl one portion of which is insert able in an axial groove in the female part and has such length that always at least some part thereof is surrounded by the sleeve. The other inwardly directed part of the locking pawl has such length that it extends into the groove of the male part when locking pawl is influenced by the sleeve. The locking pawl is a combined element. To lock the male part when the coupling is connected and lock the male part in an alternative position when it&#39;s pressure relieved.

Quick couplings with pressure relief function was presented in a first patent SE 470 452 B and in a later patent SE 506 302 C2. Both of these patents describe a quick coupling for compressed air with no recoil and disturbing noise when disconnecting, it's all eliminated. This is an unpleasant characteristic for ordinary couplings with out pressure relief function?

The invention of these couplings contains locking bodies and locking pawls which is referring to above patent. The function of these couplings is to stop the male part (FIG. 3), the nipple in intermediate positions until the pressure reliefs in the nipple have entirely or partly dropped down. The nipple sets free automatically or with a light press on the nipple. In these both referring patent, the coupling is provided with at least four locking bodies which interacting in pairs. The two pairs of locking bodies have two different functions in a coupling with pressure relief function. One of the pair of the locking bodies will lock the nipple when the coupling is connected. The other pair of locking bodies will lock the nipple in a pressure relief position.

This application as follows describes a combined locking pawl of these two different locking bodies as describes earlier. That means you only have to have one pair of locking pawls instead of have two pairs of locking bodies to achieve the same function.

-   -   1. Since you only need to do two grooves in the female part         instead of four, the strength increases radically.     -   2. To combine the two pairs of locking bodies to one pair of         locking pawls it's possible to increase the strength of these         locking pawls, you can make them bigger.

3. An easier and faster manufacturing because of fewer components and less processing of the details.

-   -   4. To have only one pair of locking pawls instead of two, there         will be fewer components in the coupling and the reliability of         the coupling will increase to.

The invention will be more detailed described in the following text referring to the attached drawings.

FIG. 1. Shows the female part.

FIG. 2 Shows the spring-loaded sleeve.

FIG. 3 Shows the nipple.

FIG. 4 Shows the none-return valve

FIG. 5 Shows a combined locking pawl of two different locking bodies.

FIG. 6 Shows a female part with an axial groove for a locking pawl.

FIG. 7 Shows the interacting components with the locking pawls.

FIG. 8 Shows a cross section of the coupling and the nipple.

FIG. 9 Shows the locking pawl when the coupling is disconnected.

FIG. 10 Shows the locking pawl when the nipple is entering the female part.

FIG. 11 Shows the locking pawl when the nipple almost have reached its locking position.

FIG. 12 Shows the locking pawl when the nipple is in the locking position.

FIG. 13 Shows the locking pawl during the disconnection of the nipple from the locking position.

FIG. 14 Shows the locking pawl in a pressure relief position.

FIG. 15 Shows the locking pawl in a disconnecting position.

FIG. 16 Shows the locking pawl in disconnected position.

In (FIG. 10) illustrates inserting the nipple into the female part at which the fore part of the locking pawl (5 a in FIG. 5) goes down into the T-shaped groove (6 b in FIG. 6) adjusted for the locking pawl in the female part. Since the circumferential groove in the nipple (3 a in FIG. 3) offers space for the locking pawl to glide down.

When the nipple is pushed further into the female part, the locking pawl comes into a interacting position with the nipple because of the narrowing axial groove (6 c in FIG. 6) in the female part forcing down the fore part wings of the locking pawl into a circumferential groove in the nipple (10 b in FIG. 10) . The locking pawl will also bring the spring-loaded sleeve backwards (FIG. 11) as the nipple is pushed further into the female part.

As when the locking pawls back wings (5 d in FIG. 5) have reached the adjusted T-shaped groove in the female part (6 a in FIG. 6) and has fallen down into the groove (12 b in FIG. 12), and the spring-loaded sleeve have been forced back over the locking pawl to its origin position (FIG. 12) and locked the nipple in a locked and connected position.

To start the pressure relief function the spring-loaded sleeve is pushed backwards (FIG. 13), the internal circumferential groove in the sleeve (13 d in FIG. 13) allows the locking pawl to go out of the locking position (13 a in FIG. 13) and glide to a pressure relief position. When the spring-loaded sleeve is pushed back and the locking pawl is out in a pressure relief position (FIG. 14). The sleeves fore internal ring (14 a in FIG. 14), make sure to lock the locking pawl into the circumferential groove in the nipple in the pressure relief position. To disconnect the nipple from the female part, just bring a light push to the nipple and the spring-loaded sleeve will return back to its forward position (FIG. 15). And locking pawls offers space out in the internal circumferential groove (15 a in FIG. 15) in the spring loaded sleeve and thereby the nipple will relief from the female part (FIG. 16).

By shaping the female part, as described above its possible with just one kind of locking pawl to achieve the two different locking positions of the nipple, in a locked and connected position, and in a pressure relief position.

These two kind of locking positions were not able without two kinds of locking bodies before. There for you will increase the strength of the female part because there will only be two grooves instead of four, and the locking pawl could there for be produced in a larger size and thereby with higher strength. There will be a reduction of components and also easier and faster manufacturing. 

1-3. (canceled)
 4. Hose coupling consisting a male part which is insert able in a female part which is provided with a non return valve (FIG. 4) which controls the flow through the coupling, and which is surrounded with a spring loaded axially displaceable sleeve (FIG. 2) which is interacting with a locking pawl (FIG. 5) in engagement with a groove in the male part (3 a in FIG. 3) and locks it into the female part, in an other displacement of the spring loaded sleeve the locking pawl obstructing the partial drawn out male part in an alternative position, Characterized in, that the female part (FIG. 1) is provided with at least through the sleeves partition an axially orientated elongated groove (1 a in FIG. 1) which collaborate with a locking pawl combining of obstructing and locking function, through axially displacement of the internally leaning circumferential groove of the spring loaded sleeve the locking pawl is carried out and in engagement with different peripheric projection on male part outside circumferential surface.
 5. Hose coupling according to claim 4, characterized in, that the female part is provided with two diametrical opposite elongated grooves which each is provided with combined obstructing and locking pawl.
 6. Hose coupling according to claim 4, characterized in, that elongated groove is mainly rectangular there the end parts of the groove (6 a, 6 b in FIG. 6) are wider than the middle section (6 c in FIG. 6) of the groove and also the locking pawl have a size that just are below the size of the groove in the middle section and have end parts or wings (5 b, 5 d in FIG. 5) with a size that exceed the size of the middle section of the groove but a little bit less wide than the end parts of the groove.
 7. Hose coupling according to claim 5, characterized in, that elongated groove is mainly rectangular there the end parts of the groove (6 a, 6 b in FIG. 6) are wider than the middle section (6 c in FIG. 6) of the groove and also the locking pawl have a size that just are below the size of the groove in the middle section and have end parts or wings (5 b, 5 d in FIG. 5) with a size that exceed the size of the middle section of the groove but a little bit less wide than the end parts of the groove. 